Vladimir Putin yesterday rejected Anglo-American claims that Saddam Hussein already possesses weapons of mass destruction and told Tony Blair that the best way to resolve the conflict of evidence is not war, but the return of UN inspectors to Iraq.

With a tense Mr Blair alongside him at his dacha near Moscow, the Russian president took the unusual step of citing this week's sceptical CIA report on the Iraqi military threat to assert: "Fears are one thing, hard facts are another".

At a press conference, during a break in the talks, Mr Putin - praised by his guest for his "courageous" leadership - repeatedly stressed his concerns about Iraq and his willingness to back fresh UN resolutions if necessary. Mr Blair took comfort from that.

But his scepticism about the US-led drive for military action was palpable. After confirming his foreign ministry's assessment that No 10's Iraqi dossier "could be seen as a propagandistic step" to sway public opinion, he made it plain.

"Russia does not have in its possession any trustworthy data that supports the existence of nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we have not received any such information from our partners as yet. This fact has also been supported by the information sent by the CIA to the US Congress."

Evidently anxious to please his host and reinforce the international coalition the prime minister emphasised the importance of taking Russia's economic and diplomatic interests seriously "at the top table".

"There may be a difference of perspective about weapons of mass destruction, there is one certain way to find out and that is to let the inspectors back in to do their job. That is the key point on which we are both agreed," Mr Blair said.

Mr Putin concurred. But he showed sensitivity to any suggestion that Russia's economic contracts with Iraq - and its dependence on oil prices staying high - made the country's position different from other states. "I have invited the prime minister here to discuss a range of issues, I have not invited him to an oriental bazaar," he said.

British officials accompanying Mr Blair gratefully seized on Mr Putin's apparent acceptance of eventual need for a new UN resolution if President Saddam repeats his past obstruction.

But amid poor official interpretation of the president's remarks, even that concession was disputed, though No 10 later quoted Mr Putin as telling the prime minister that he "hoped the journalists understood" the importance of his admission that a new resolution may be required.

Mr Putin also appeared to be leaving himself room for manoeuvre in the weeks ahead. "We have apprehensions that such weapons might exist in Iraq. That is why we want to see the inspectors travel there."

In his remarks Mr Blair, very much the bridge between the hawks in Washington and wider global scepticism, again said that "conflict is not inevitable" but that the international community must give a "strong and clear signal" to Baghdad to comply with its demands.

Given the overall tone of the president's remarks and the scepticism of three of the security council's permanent five members it was not clear why British officials are optimistic that the Russian obstacle has now been cleared at the UN.

The two leaders and their wives spent the night at the presidential hunting lodge north of the capital, a return trip after the Putins stayed at Chequers. After a dinner that included caviar and assorted game and fish they drove around the estate in search of wildlife and saw a boar. No animals were killed, Russian reporters were assured.

The talks which began on Thursday night ranged across global problems, including the Israel-Palestine and India-Pakistan conflicts, and growing bilateral trade between Britain and Russia. Mr Blair called Mr Putin "a critical partner for ourselves and the whole of the western world."